Sick Daze
by Emerald Lotus
Summary: An ailment plagues one of the brothers. At first it appears as a simple sickness. Yet it quickly manifests, and the symptoms get progressively worse. A race against time ensues. A cure must be forged before it will be completely ineffective, and the brothers could lose one of their own.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning to readers: There is mention, and brief descriptions of vomiting in this chapter.**

* * *

Usually mornings in the subterranean home of the turtles were fairly routine. Weekdays it was wake up, make breakfast, and then go to the dojo to train with Master Splinter. April, upon learning about their schedules, had accounted it to being like their version of school, since it's something they've done practically every day since they were little kids. Every once in a while though there was a hiccup to their schedule.

Leonardo had just woke up, despite being out late during the night, he beat his alarm and effectively shut it off before it could starting beeping. There was something in the air that just didn't feel right, it was a cold tingle at the back of his neck, and it had him on edge. He tied his mask on, smoothed out the covers on his bed, and headed towards the bathroom.

He was always the first one up, so it was definitely a shock to Leo when he turned on the lights and found out that he was not the only one in the bathroom. Leo's heart jumped into his throat when he saw Mikey slumped against the bathtub, appearing to be asleep.

Quickly Leo bent down next to his brother to make sure he was still breathing. After reassuring himself that Mikey's pulse was perfectly fine, he attempted to wake up his brother.

"Mikey, wake up," Leo tapped his cheek softly to rouse him. "Come on, Mikey. This is not a good place to rest, get up!"

Mikey groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. Leo could see the dark bags that had formed under his eyes from not getting enough rest, which only worried him more.

"What?" Mikey asked. He didn't seem to be fully awake yet. He blinked a few times like it was a struggle just to keep his eyes open. "Oh…Leo? What's wrong?"

"I think that's for me to ask. Why did I find you asleep on the floor?"

Mikey glanced briefly around the room, just then realizing where he was. "Um, I got sick during the night." He straightened himself up against the tub. Wincing a bit when he could feel the kink in his neck from the awkward position he had been in for so long. "Dinner, lunch, and breakfast demanded to sacrificed to the porcelain god, bro. It was more brutal than that beat down we gave the Purple Dragons."

"You were throwing up all night? Why didn't you call for someone?" If Leo had known he was sick he could have helped him. If anything made sure he didn't sleep on the cement floor of the bathroom.

"I was a bit distracted," Mikey grimaced. "I still don't feel right…uh-oh."

Mikey's face instantly paled. He scrambled over to the toilet as quickly as his weary body could move. He dry heaved for a few moments, Leo did his best to comfort Mikey until he was finished. When he was done, he pulled Mikey slowly away without jarring him too much.

"What's going on?" Leo turned to see Raph standing in the doorway of the bathroom, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Michelangelo's sick," Leo stated.

Raph sobered up as he took a better look at his little brother on the floor. He looked utterly wiped out. "What can I do to help?"

"I guess tell Master Splinter and Donnie, or help take him back to bed."

"Bed sounds good," Mikey murmured. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke. "But I don't know if I can move. My stomach feels like it's doing skate tricks on a half-pipe."

"I'll help you up. Just tell me when you're ready to move," Leo said softly.

"If you got him, then I'll go get the others," Raph turned on his heel, and moved towards Donnie's room.

Mikey took a few deep, calming breaths before he spoke again. "Okay, I think I'm good to go. Just no sudden moves, the room is already spinning."

"All right," Leo placed Mikey's arm around his shoulders, and then his other arm snaked around his waist to gain leverage. He hoisted Mikey slowly off the cold floor, taking on most of his weight. After Leo was sure Mikey was going to be steady enough to move on he started for the door.

As Leo walked out of the bathroom he could feel Mikey trembling in his arms. Whether it was from the stress of moving while being so nauseated, or because he was obviously running a fever, Leo wasn't sure. Before turning into Mikey's room, he spotted Donnie in the hall with his medical kit.

"Hey Don, grab a bucket too just in case," Leo called down to him.

"Got it," he heard Donnie respond as he entered Mikey's room.

Mikey was shaking a lot harder when Leo placed him into bed. He was still very pale as Leo propped him up a bit on some pillows.

"Am I in bed?" Mikey asked. He had his eyes closed the entire time Leo was moving him.

"Yeah," Leo answered just as the rest of their family started to spill into the room. Leo backed up to let Master Splinter and Donnie get closer to Michelangelo.

"Hey there, buddy," Donnie said softly. "You just didn't feel like starting this day like normal, did you?"

Mikey's lips twitched up at the edges in a brief smile. "You know I like to mix things up a bit."

Master Splinter stepped forward taking Mikey's pulse, and placing his hand against his cheek to judge his temperature. "Michelangelo, how long have you been feeling ill?"

"I was fine before I went to bed," He said slowly, looking up at Donnie and Master Splinter as he spoke. "But I woke up…I think the clock said three something, and ran to the bathroom."

Donnie started shuffling through his medical kit and pulled out a thermometer. Unlike normal turtles, which were cold-blooded, Donnie and his brothers were warm blooded. Only their temperatures tended to run a little lower than humans, sitting around ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit.

"Open your mouth," Donnie instructed. Mikey obeyed, and Donnie gave him the thermometer. "Don't bite down, and wait for it to beep again."

Mikey nodded and leaned back into his pillows. He didn't get sick very often. None of them did really, so to be violently ill was sort of a new experience for him.

The thermometer beeped, jarring Mikey slightly since he had started to drift off. Donnie retrieved it and furrowed his brow at the results. "Hm…99.5. That's fairly high for us. You should take some ibuprofen, it will help reduce the fever. I'll give you some nausea medicine too."

"Raphael, would you bring a glass of water in from the kitchen?" Master Splinter asked.

"Hai Sensei," Raph said and ran out of the room.

Mikey shifted in bed, still shivering despite having two thick blankets over him. Master Splinter patted his hand in an attempt to comfort him.

Raphael returned a moment later with the cup of water in his hand. "Here ya go," he handed the drink over to Donnie.

"Mikey, you can sleep as soon as you take this medicine," Donnie said, rousing his ill brother once more.

With shaky hands, Mikey reached out and took the pills from Donnie. He popped them into his mouth and reached for water, taking a small sip to wash down the medicine.

"Are we done?" Mikey asked sounding completely exhausted.

Donnie nodded, though Mikey had closed his eyes. "For now. I'll be checking in on you though."

"Great," Mikey mumbled and finally settled back into his pillows. In a matter of minutes, his breathing evened out, showing he was deeply asleep.

The family retreated to the hall, leaving the door to his room open in case they were needed.

"Do you think we should be concerned about this Donatello?" Master Splinter inquired. Although he was able to manage simple sicknesses, Donatello had, over time, acquired quite a vast knowledge in medicine and how best to treat his brothers should they wind up ill.

"Hopefully not," Donnie answered. "I'm not going to ignore it, but it could just be a bout of food poisoning or a small stomach bug. You know Mikey likes to, uh, experiment with his food sometimes. I'll monitor him, and see how he progresses."

"That sounds reasonable," Splinter placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "If anything should come up, let me know."

"Of course, Sensei."

"I am going to the dojo. You three are dismissed from practice today," he said to them. "Thank you for looking after your brother," Splinter smiled at them, and retreated toward the living room.

Raph was watching Mikey sleep from the doorway. Mikey looked relaxed enough for the moment, but a worried expression was still firmly planted on Raph's features. He turned to Leo, "Does something about this seem…I dunno, off to you?"

"I woke up with that feeling this morning," Leo said.

It worried them all so much more than they would like to admit. Mikey was perfectly fine when they went to sleep, and they had pretty much all had the same meals during the previous day. They had gone out for a nightly patrol, and the only significant event was a small skirmish with a few Purple Dragon punks. Still none of it would lead them to illness, and the mystery behind it is what bothered them.

"I think Sensei could sense there was something wrong too, but didn't want to worry us," Leo added.

"It's the fever," Donnie walked past them and back to Mikey's side. He put a hand gently on Mikey's forehead. "Normally, not associated with food poisoning or rarely with a twenty-four hour bug. I'm going to have to think this one over more."

The three brothers stood watch over their youngest for a while longer. They could only hope that their feelings about Mikey were wrong. Unfortunately, for them luck was seldom in their favor.

* * *

_First chapter in what should be a five to six chapter story. I don't know why I like to pick on Mikey so much, but I do. He's my favorite, and therefore my victim apparently. _

_Feedback is always appreciated. Also the title and summary may not be permanent, and I really hope they don't sound too cliche. I sat at my laptop for almost two hours trying to think of something. I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

The morning dragged on, and Mikey slept most of it away, well into the afternoon. After watching him sleep for a while just to make sure he was all right for the moment, the brothers decided to move on to other activities to occupy themselves with.

Leo and Raph went to the dojo to practice and spar. Donnie migrated back to his lab, but kept the doors open so he could hear if he was called. The only sounds though were the occasional clash of steel from the dojo, and various instruments beeping in the lab.

So when April entered the lair in the late afternoon she went completely unnoticed. Donnie had texted her during the morning to let her know Michelangelo was sick. While she couldn't visit sooner because of school, she made it a point to come down directly afterwards.

She trotted back to the bedrooms, and quietly made her way into Mikey's room. He was still asleep, but blankets were strewn across the bed, half of them draped down onto the floor. April reached down to pick them up, and covered Mikey again. Her hands brushed against his skin briefly, but she could feel that he was pretty warm. The fever was still present.

As April let go of the blanket, Mikey must have sensed the motion because he started to stir. He shifted slightly, and opened his eyes, obviously still groggy from sleeping for so long. His eyes roamed up to April standing next to the bed, and then suddenly he flinched. He gasped, but it sounded like he wanted to scream.

"Whoa, Mikey," April said to him softly. "I'm sorry. You're okay."

Realization crossed his face. He sighed, "April, geez you scared me."

"Again, sorry. I was just checking in on you. Donnie told me you weren't feeling too good," she held up her backpack. "So I brought you something."

He perked up a little at that promise of gifts. "What'd you bring?"

April placed the backpack on the edge of the bed and unzipped it. Reaching inside she pulled out a stack of comics. "Some new comics for starters. Figured if you have to stay in bed, you might like these. But I also brought some crackers and ginger-ale, which I'm sure you're not as interested in."

"Yes to the comics, and no to the rest," the thought of even having a bite to eat made his stomach swirl. "Thanks for all this stuff though, April."

Mikey moved to sit more upright in bed, but stopped mid-movement. He quickly closed his eyes, and April could see the distress across his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. Moving closer, she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

He took a deep breath. "Dizzy," he murmured.

April waited for Mikey to settle, knowing dizzy spells took a few minutes to subside. She debated on calling Donnie into the room to help out, but decided to wait a bit to see how Mikey felt. He sunk back down into the bed, all the color drained from his face, but he seemed calm enough to move his body again.

"That was one major head rush," he said to April. She removed her hand from his shoulder, but as she did Mikey yelped.

"Oh my gosh, sorry!" She said hastily and somewhat alarmed. April didn't do anything that should have harmed him. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged, "Your hand brushed against a nick I got last night. It's just sensitive, I guess. Didn't mean to scare you."

That sent up some definite red flags, and April moved closer. "Let me see it," she demanded. Serious concern started to buzz through her mind.

"It's not a big deal," Mikey said, trying to get her back down. "It was a small cut from a shuriken, and I cleaned it after we got home. It barely even bled."

April stared him down not letting him get off so easy. "If you want to keep those comics, you have to let me see that cut."

"That's playing dirty," Mikey whined, but he complied. Slowly, so he didn't bring back the dizziness, he rolled onto his left side so April could see the small wound.

Carefully, April put some weight on the mattress with her knee so she could move closer to Mikey. The cut was on the back of his right shoulder, and she instantly became worried. Though it was small, less than an inch long, and shallow, there was something obviously wrong. The skin around it had spider-web like marks spreading out in dark purple lines. It was a striking contrast to Mikey's green skin.

The mark was obviously tender to the touch since April had caused Mikey to cry out before. It startled her, because that was no ordinary cut. She pulled back, and stood up off the bed. April didn't want to frighten Mikey, but it looked extremely serious.

"What's the verdict, doc?" Mikey asked, trying to joke.

April tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make Mikey panic. "Um, it doesn't look deep or anything. You know, I'm not the best judge for this kind of stuff though. Let me go ask Don for an opinion, okay?"

"Why? If it's not so bad, then don't worry about," he said, stifling a yawn at the same time.

"Just to be extra sure. I'll pour you some ginger-ale, it can help with nausea sometimes," she was trying to distract him a bit, but it also gave her a reason to leave the room and go speak with Donnie.

"Okay," Mikey replied. "If it will make you feel better." He smiled at her, and burrowed a little deeper into the covers.

April snatched the two-liter bottle of soda from her backpack, and walked out of the room. She took a few steps, and then as quietly as possible picked up the pace. She ran into the lab, coming up behind Donnie who was measuring out some kind of liquid into the beakers on his table.

"Donnie," April called to him. He jumped, not expecting her voice, and almost dropped the beaker.

"April!" Donnie exclaimed. "You scared me."

"Seems I'm doing a good job of that today."

Donnie looked at her confused, but then noticed the ginger-ale in her hands. "You were with Mikey?"

"Yeah, I accidentally scared him too," she explained. "I think there's something wrong. You really need to check it out."

Donnie almost dropped his beaker a second time at the nervousness edging its way into April's voice. He placed the glass down carefully, and turned to face her completely. "What's the matter?"

She explained about touching him, the mark she found on the back of his shoulder, and how it was from a shuriken. Donnie's expression darkened as she spoke. April could practically see his mind working out the different scenarios and what could cause such a reaction.

"Sounds like poison," Donnie murmured. He began to move about the lab collecting various items into the red tool kit he used for medical situations. "I can't believe I didn't see anything sooner," he grumbled.

"It's not your fault. It's hard to see if you're not looking for it," April said. She didn't want Donnie blaming himself for something that wasn't even his fault to begin with.

Donnie finished collecting everything he needed, and quickly moved back to Mikey's room. April was right on his heels. When they walked through the doorway, they were greeted by the sight of Mikey sitting on the edge of the bed. Mikey was bent over, his head resting on his knees, and breathing oddly.

"Mikey!" Donnie almost shouted. He dropped his medical kit on the floor and ran over to his brother. "What's wrong?"

Mikey shook his head slightly, and after a few moments started to speak. "S-sorry, I'm okay. It felt like my heart was beating really fast all of a sudden, and then I felt like I couldn't breathe right," he took a deep shaky breath. "Still feels that way. I thought sitting up would help…or down, I guess."

Donnie bent down on one knee next to Mikey on the floor, and took his pulse. He counted out the beats he could feel thrumming underneath his fingers, and could feel that's Mikey's pulse was a little quicker than normal. Fortunately it was nothing to be concerned about _yet_, but it did worry Donnie some. Especially since he could still feel the feverish heat of Mikey's skin.

After a few seconds, Donnie stood back up. He looked over at April, both exchanging worried glances. As Donnie stood, he caught a glimpse of the mark April told him about. It was certainly alarming, and not a simple bruise from being knocked around. He had to do something before things escalated further.

"You feeling any better?" Donnie asked Mikey quietly.

"I think so," Mikey said, but he still sounded out of breath. "Stomach doesn't feel like it's doing back flips anymore. I just can't shake this feeling, bro. My heart feels like it wants to jump right out of my shell."

"Just take deep breaths, I'm sure it will pass," Donnie told him. "Now, do you think you can sit up against the headboard? I need to check that cut April saw."

Mikey hummed a response, and pushed himself slowly back onto the bed. Donnie went back over to April to grab his medical kit that he dropped. As he crouched down, April stopped him.

"Donnie, I think Mikey could be experiencing early stages of an anxiety attack," April kept her voice low.

"What makes you think that?"

"I used to get them from time to time. And when I did I felt like I couldn't breathe and my heart was racing. All I'm saying is be careful, and be gentle."

Donnie retrieved his kit, "I'll do my best," he gave her a small smile. And shifted back over to Mikey to examine the wound on his shoulder.

"Dude," Mikey moaned. "Feels like I got sucked into a whirlpool."

"You're that dizzy?" Donnie questioned. He placed the red box on the small nightstand next to the bed and opened it up.

"Mm-hm," Mikey mumbled. "I want off this ride."

"I'm working on it," Donnie told him. "I just want to take a quick look at the mark on your shoulder."

Donnie gently put his hand on Mikey's arm. Mikey had kept his eyes shut the whole time in attempt to stave off the vertigo that was currently plaguing him. Gently, Donnie moved him forward just a bit, so that there was enough light to see the mark. Donatello had seen it once briefly, but now that he could see it without interruption, it troubled him deeply.

The cut he could see was shallow, and small. But the skin around it was inflamed, looked raw and sensitive to the touch. The spider web-like marks April described were dark purple bordering on black, and appeared to be spreading out from the cut. It certainly was not a normal infection, but discerning the type of poison that was used, if it was poison at all, was going to be difficult. He would need to analyze a blood sample in order to do anything more to help.

Donnie leaned Mikey back against the headboard once more. And turned to April with a frown, but signaled for her to come closer.

She came up beside him, and he leaned in to whisper. "I need to draw some blood, but that's probably gonna lose it. Do you think you could hold onto him, or try to distract him somehow?"

"I'll try," April replied. "But you could just tell him; he's out of it anyway."

Donnie reached into his kit to get a syringe. He didn't want to have to take blood, but it was going to be the only way to fully determine what was ailing his little brother.

Donnie took a cotton ball and wet it with rubbing alcohol. He swiped it along the crook of Mikey's arm. The cool feeling roused Mikey's attention, and he opened his eyes to look at Donnie.

Immediately he saw the needle. His eyes went wide, and he paled considerably. Both Donatello and April could see his distress.

"Mikey, don't freak out," Donnie started.

"What are you going to do with that?" Mikey's voice trembled with panic.

April stepped in, hoping to calm him down. Taking his other hand to reassure him. "You're sick, and Donnie just wants to do what's best for you. If he takes a small sample, he can look at it and find out why you're ill."

"Small sample?" Mikey squeaked. He looked like he was ready to jump from the bed. "Of..of blood?"

Donnie nodded, and tried to smile encouragingly. "That's right. I promise I won't hurt you. It's just a small pinch, all right?"

Mikey could only shake his head. April tried to draw his attention as Donnie moved to draw blood. But Mikey's eyes were fixated to the small syringe, and to him in that moment it could have been as large as a dagger.

The moment slowed. He could feel his heartbeat pound harder. Just as the point of the needle's cold tip touched his skin, he shrieked. A sound so high and loud, it seemed like it came from somewhere else.

Mikey bolted from the room as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving both April and Donnie dumbfounded in his wake. The echo of his scream still reverberating off the walls.

* * *

_Okay, so just one thing about the mention of anxiety attacks. I just used descriptions of my own experiences, and applied it to the story. I always feel short of breath when I'm experiencing anxiety. Also with this illness, some of it is based off of a stomach bug I got over Christmas. Not fun, but I guess it helps with story writing. _

_Anyway, thanks so much for all the follows/favorites/reviews so far. Keep 'em coming, and enjoy this chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

Donnie and April sprinted out of Mikey's room to chase after him. Fortunately they didn't have to go too far. Mikey was down at the end of the hall, almost to the main room of the lair. He was sitting on the ground. His head was resting on his knees and he wrapped his arms around his legs.

As Donnie and April got closer they could hear that he was crying. Within seconds Master Splinter, Leo, and Raph came running to them as well, panic-stricken from the screams they heard. They stopped abruptly to take in the scene, each of them giving questioning looks to Donnie and April.

"What has happened?" Master Splinter asked. He moved closer to Mikey and kneeled down next to him, checking him over for any obvious injuries.

"I'm sorry. It was my fault…sort of," Donnie tried to explain quickly. "I needed a blood sample, and Mikey got a little… scared."

"A little?" Raph retorted. "He screamed bloody murder!"

"You just needed a sample, though? I thought Mikey was okay with needles." Leo said confused. "I mean I've never seen him upset over them before."

Mikey was still sobbing, but he looked up at them shaking his head. He wiped his eyes, and looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't get himself to stop crying. They waited patiently for a few moments, as his crying subsided into small hiccups.

"I'm sorry," Mikey said quietly. "I-I don't know what happened. You had that needle, and then every muscle in body was screaming to run. It was like you had a dagger instead of a syringe." He wiped at his eyes and looked to Donnie. "But I'm not afraid, okay? I-I won't run this time."

Mikey held out his arm to Donnie. "You can get that sample. I won't run or scream this time…I think."

"All right, if you're sure," Donnie bent down on one knee next to Mikey. "Just look at someone else. It'll only take a moment."

"Mikey, what's going on? I mean that's unusual, even for you," Raph asked, pulling Mikey's attention away from Donnie for the moment.

He shook his head slightly. "I don't know. I'm on edge all of a sudden. Sick this morning, dizzy when I woke up, actually I'm still pretty dizzy, and then I just freaked out about that needle. I can't explain it, bro. It's just everything's…off. I'm all shaky."

Splinter intervened at that moment, still crouched down next to his son. "Michelangelo, you have nothing to fear from that needle, nor from your brother. You realize that, right?"

"Hai, Sensei." Mikey responded.

"Then perhaps you should meditate for a few minutes, and let Donatello do what he must."

"All right," Mikey closed his eyes. And started taking deep breaths, using the methods Master Splinter showed him on the best ways to meditate. It worked easily enough, and with his eyes closed everything seemed to settle around him for the moment. He didn't feel the need to run, or the panicky feeling that started to make his heart flutter uncomfortably.

"Done," Donnie announced as he was placing a small band-aid over the spot where he had injected the needle. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

"Nope," Mikey replied. "I think I'm good now."

Donnie placed the sample out of sight in his medical kit, and then retrieved some pills. He handed them to Mikey. "I can tell you still have a fever. Take these."

Mikey took the pills and swallowed them. Then he attempted to push himself up off the floor, but his elbows buckled. He slumped back against the wall, but Master Splinter caught him. Raph came over and gave him a hand. He hoisted Mikey up, and kept a supportive arm around him since Mikey was a bit unstable.

"Dude, I feel like Jello," Mikey joked.

"You're definitely the right color to be Jello," Raph smiled. He started leading Mikey back towards his bedroom. "But you should be in bed."

"Ooh, that's a good idea," Mikey mumbled and swayed as Raph steered him away.

After they were out of ear-shot, Donnie motioned everyone toward the kitchen. "I gave him a light sedative, if you were wondering. I'm worried that if he gets too worked up, it could have some…negative side effects."

"And why would you come to that conclusion?" Master Splinter asked curiously.

Raph entered the kitchen just then, so Donnie continued to speak. "I found evidence that Mikey's illness is not natural. I took some blood because it appears that he could have been poisoned."

"Poisoned!" Raph and Leo almost shouted in unison. Donnie quickly shushed them. He didn't want Mikey to overhear.

Master Splinter looked worried as he spoke. "How did this occur?"

Donnie gestured to April, "April found a spot on the back of Mikey's shoulder earlier. It's definitely worrisome. It looks like a bruise but it's nearly black, and it spread out across the skin leaving a web-like mark. He said the got a small cut from a shuriken with our fight with the Purple Dragons last night."

"And that small cut was enough to poison him?" Raph asked, anger edging his voice.

Donnie nodded. "It appears so. I'll know more when I can analyze what it is exactly. And then I can manufacture an antidote…hopefully."

"I have faith that you will do your best to help your brother," Master Splinter tried to reassure Donnie.

"Thanks, uh… I have a lot of work to do. I'll be in my lab," Donnie gave a short bow and gathered his stuff. He quickly left the room.

Master Splinter looked after him. "While Donatello is working, keep an eye on Michelangelo. This is not a situation that should be taken lightly."

"Hai, Sensei," everyone else responded. Master Splinter then excused himself to the dojo.

The three remaining in the kitchen just looked at each other without saying a word. Neither of them really knew what to do next. The situation was so sudden, it was a little difficult for them all to take in the severity of what was happening.

After a few quiet minutes, April was the first to break the silence that had enveloped the room. "I'll go see if I can help Donnie out at all. Are you two going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Leo answered.

April gave him a small smile, and left the kitchen.

"All we can do is be patient," Leo told Raph, who had taken to glaring at the top of the kitchen island.

Raph slammed his fist down onto the countertop. "I can't believe those Purple Dragon idiots are behind this. They are so going to pay! How are you not upset right now?"

"I am upset, Raph," Leo said with a sigh. "But revenge is going to have to wait. Let's take care of Mikey first, then we can get those punks back _after_ he's okay."

"Fine," Raph grumbled. He stormed out of the kitchen, Leo followed after him.

The only thing they could do now was wait for Donnie to report back to them on what he had found. But waiting was the hardest thing to do. After a quick glimpse into Mikey's room, Leo and Raph went into the sitting room and turned on the television. At least they could pretend that their minds were occupied by something other than complete worry.

Meanwhile, Donnie was working hard in his lab. He was constantly switching between his desk and lab tables. His rolling chair rattled as the wheels glided over the concrete floor. April sat patiently in the corner, out of Donnie's way, but was there if he asked for something.

Donnie grumbled to himself occasionally, while writing down equations and notes on scraps of paper. Two hours passed by when he finally shouted, "got it!" which startled April from her perch on a nearby table.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, it's complicated. I've seen this poison before, or I should say venom. It's extremely similar to when Fishface bit Raph, but there seems to be some kind of genetic modification that slows down the effects of the venom," Donnie explained.

"That's good, right?" April got a bad feeling though that it wasn't going to be an easy fix.

"Well, the effects are slower, but the damage it can do is more significant. It has hallucinogenic properties in it that are much stronger than the original venom. Eventually it can cause Mikey's heart to experience tachycardia," Donnie got up quickly from his desk and walked over to a storage cabinet. He started looking through it hastily, grabbing different vials. "If it progresses he could go into cardiac arrest."

"Seriously!" April gasped. It was more serious than she wanted to hear.

Donnie just nodded, becoming sidetracked in his work. He was trying to move as fast as he could without making any mistakes.

April took a deep breath. She didn't expect Mikey's illness, turned poisoning, to end up so bad. Obviously it was bad, but the new revelations were worse than she could have imagined. April headed for the living room. She wanted to fill the guys in on what Donnie discovered, and then check in on Mikey.

But as she walked into the living room, she was greeted by a startling sight. Leo and Raph were sprawled across the floor, their weapons scattered about, out of reach. April ran to Leo, since he was closest, and shook his shoulder.

"Leo! Get up!" She called to him frantically.

He groaned and opened his eyes. "April?"

"What happened?" She demanded, and a little surprised she didn't hear anything from the lab.

"Mikey," Leo said sitting up. "He attacked us out of nowhere. It was like he didn't recognize us. He took down Raph first and then got me, but I saw him run off into the sewers before I lost consciousness."

April pulled Leo to his feet, and then moved over to Raph who was already starting to stir. "We need to find Mikey now! He's in danger."

* * *

**I'm sorry this took a little while to update. I took some liberties with the medical information Donnie was spewing. Tachycardia is a real thing, which means rapid heartbeats. So please let me know what you think! I should have the next chapter up soon! **

**As always the reviews for the past chapter were fabulous! I love you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

"He's missing!?" Donnie shouted. "How did this happen?" He moved frantically through his lab, sorting through different tubes and beakers.

"Donnie…chill," Leo said.

"No! Leo I will _not_ chill," Donnie snapped. He buried his face in his hands. He was stressed beyond measure. His little brother was poisoned, running around the sewers most likely hallucinating, and living on borrowed time. And that borrowed time was now in Donnie's hands, and depended on whether he could make an antidote or not. "Augh, this is too much."

"Calm yourself, Donatello," Master Splinter said as he entered the lab. "We all know how difficult this is for you, since you are the only one capable of fixing the problem. I am sorry that burden has been placed on you, but Michelangelo needs you right now. I know you will not let him down."

Donnie sighed. "Okay, okay. Yeah. I've got this."

"What's got you so worked up, Donnie?" Raph asked. "Is it really that bad?"

"Mikey could potentially suffer from a heart attack if his heart rate gets too high. The poison is slowly corrupting his blood cells, and that's why we need to get him back as soon as possible."

They group looked horrified upon hearing that news. Or rather Leo and Raph did. They knew that the poison had made Mikey sick, to learn that it was fatal was like getting smacked in the face. April already knew, and Master Splinter, though deeply concerned, kept a stoic expression.

"Then you must retrieve him if he is in danger, and a danger to himself as well," Master Splinter said to them. "Michelangelo is relying on you all."

"Already on our way," Leo started to walk towards the door. Raph and April followed him. "We'll call you on our way back."

Donnie nodded. "Try to be quick. I don't think he's got much time at this point," he said it quietly, not wanting to admit the time constraint they were on out loud.

"Okay, let's go," Leo said. The three of them headed out of the lab and Donnie turned back to his workstation.

* * *

When Raph led Mikey back to his bed earlier, he couldn't quite remember what was going on. He felt like his mind was in a fog, and he couldn't grasp onto his thoughts. He remembered being in the lair, Donnie gave him medicine, and Raph led him back to bed. Then that was pretty much it.

When he hit the mattress he instantly fell asleep, but it wasn't a good sleep. He was still aware of his body and how sick he felt. Mikey felt restless, and the nausea sat heavily in his stomach. Even laying still he could feel the whirl of the dizziness attacking him.

At some point though his mind just jolted into full awareness. He awoke to terrible sounds, something he couldn't quite identify. Mikey crept out into the living room to investigate, and standing there were a pair of angry, vicious, slobbering, razor-toothed mutants. Mikey could hear their grumbling sounds from the hallway where he was hiding. The ugly things were stout, but they looked tough.

Suddenly, Mikey was worried for his brothers. They were nowhere to be seen.

He attacked without thinking. Mikey's body felt heavy as he moved, but he managed to get the upper hand on the monsters, they weren't expecting him to attack. Mikey's heart pounded in his chest, but the adrenaline pushed the symptoms of sickness away for the moment. He fought hard, and finally he managed to knock the monsters out cold.

Mikey could feel he was losing his balance, but he couldn't stay here. It wasn't safe. He wouldn't be able to defend himself a second time if the monsters were to wake up. So he fled into the sewers without really thinking, and just ran. Hopefully his brothers had done the same.

His vision faded started to fade, becoming fuzzy and dark around the edges. He could feel his heart racing even more, and his legs were shaky. Before he face planted into some muck in the sewers, he decided to slide down against the damp sewer wall. Then his vision promptly cut out, along with his consciousness.

* * *

Leo, April, and Raph started their search through the sewers. April had a feeling on which way to go, one her psychic premonitions, and they decided to start there without having any other leads.

They kept a quick pace, trying to move quickly, but not so fast that they would miss something important.

"Hey, we're heading towards the subway junction that Mikey likes to use for a skate spot," Raph pointed out. More than enough times he had found his little brother there after an argument.

"You think he could be here?" Leo asked.

"I think he might be," April answered. "I can sense him the strongest in this area."

The sewer tunnel they were in continued on for a few feet and then opened up into a wider area. The floor sloped in places and there rails, or more likely piping, that was throughout the area. And for being underground, it would make for a pretty good, impromptu skate park. There were grates that let in some natural light, but it was getting late, and so the sunlight was limited in the sewer space.

They spread out through the large space to check the small nooks, and darker spaces for Mikey.

"Guys, I feel like he's close," April said from the other side of the room.

Raph had looked over to see where she was standing, but since he diverted his attention, he did not see the obstacle in front of him. Which resulted in Raph tripping, rather ungracefully, to the ground. Raph caught himself at the last minute.

"What did I just run into?" Raph mumbled. He looked behind him, and was surprised to see a familiar looking hand.

"Mikey!" Raph exclaimed.

Mikey was tucked into a small rectangular space in the wall. It was just big enough to hold him, but small enough that if you weren't looking, you would not have seen it. Piping on the wall camouflaged it well.

"You found him?" Leo asked, running over to where Raph was. April close behind him.

Raph tried to reach for Mikey, and pull him out. The angle he was at was making it difficult. He could just grab his exposed hand, and pull, but that would be too harsh. But he needed to do something quickly. He could hear Mikey's breathing, and it sounded worrisome.

"Mikey," Raph shook his shoulder. "Hey, can you hear me? Wake up."

He responded with a groan to Raph's incessant prodding, and swatted his arm away. "Not now Raph," Mikey muttered groggily. Mikey cracked an eye open to look at Raph, and flinched away with a stifled scream.

"Not Raph! Not Raph!" Mikey tried to scramble back away from his brother, but had nowhere to go.

Raph backed away to give Mikey some space, clearly seeing how upset he was. Leo tried to come closer, but Mikey panicked more as he came near.

The three of them backed away, not wanting to stress Mikey out more than he already was.

"What's with him?" Raph asked turning to Leo and April.

"It's like he doesn't recognize us," Leo said.

"I don't think he does," April said, thinking back to the properties of the poison. "It's a hallucinogenic poison. He could be seeing a whole other reality in his mind right now."

Mikey clearly looked panicked, and a slightly crazed. It was obvious he wasn't seeing friendly faces in his delusions. He slowly crawled out of the hide-away he was in, and stood on unstable legs.

"There's three of them now?" Mikey said mostly to himself. "What did you do with my family?" Mikey questioned them, he pulled out his nunchucks and spun them in his hands in attempt to make the monsters flee.

April stepped forward. Her hands in front of her, in an attempt to show that she meant no harm. "Mikey, it's April. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Mikey cocked his head to the side, taken aback by the sound of her voice. "I'm not going to fall for something like that. I'm not stupid, you beast."

He jumped forward suddenly, swinging his nunchuck at April. She put up her arm to block the blow, but Leo intercepted with his katanas at the last moment. The chains of the nunchuck wrapped around the sword.

"Michelangleo," Leo said sternly. "You have to focus! We will not hurt you."

"Nice Leo impression," Mikey scoffed. "You're imitating my family to trick me into lowering my guard. Well it's not gonna happen."

They couldn't do this for much longer. Mikey was trembling from over exerting himself. He wouldn't last much longer, but he was too riled up. Leo knew that Mikey's eyes were playing tricks on him, but he could still hear them clearly.

Raph moved behind Mikey while he was distracted by Leo. In one quick movement he wrapped one of his arms around Mikey's shoulder, and simultaneously grabbed the tails of his mask, spinning it around so his eyes were covered.

"Mikey, listen to me," Raph said calmly. "It's Raph. Not some monster in your imagination, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, we just want to help you feel better. Do you get that?"

Mikey's breathing was still quick, but he seemed to relax as Raph held onto him. "It's…it's really you, Raph?"

"Yeah, little brother," Raph said, squeezing him slightly to reassure him.

Now that Mikey wasn't relying on sight, his senses were able to distinguish what was real or not. He couldn't see Raph, but he could feel his arm, and it comforted him

"Man, I thought…I saw something really weird," Mikey told him. He sounded exhausted now. "I don't know why."

Leo came closer. "Mikey, we need to take you back to the lair. Can you make it?"

Mikey nodded his head. "Sure," he took a step forward, Raph's arm still on his shoulder and immediately collapsed onto one knee.

"Mikey!" Raph shouted. Leo and April swooped in next to him to help. "Give me a warning if you're going to do that."

"Whoa, sorry," Mikey mumbled. He sounded winded as he spoke. "I… uh I don't think I'll be able to make it afterall."

He slumped backwards into Raph, once again unconscious. Leo came up on Mikey's other side, taking his pulse. It was much too fast, and his breathing was harsh too.

"We need to get back now. We're running out of time," Leo said. Together they lifted him up. The four of them left the junction and headed for home, hoping that they wouldn't be too late to help their little brother.

* * *

**To Starcross123, here's the new chapter! Thank you for reviewing (multiple times). I hope you like it :)  
**

**Sorry for the delay...like a month. I started a new job that requires a lot of typing so when I get home I just did not want to write. Well I finally got this one done. I hope it's okay. I will try my hardest not to make you forever for the next update. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

The three brothers and April burst through the turnstiles of their subway home. Mikey had been unconscious since they left the junction, and every silent second was an eternity. Fortunately, Master Splinter was standing by, waiting for them to return. As soon as he saw Mikey being supported between Raph and Leo, he immediately rushed over and helped them support Michelangelo.

Master Splinter frowned worriedly at the state of his son. He was bruised, and had a few shallow cuts on his arms and legs from wandering about in the sewers. His mask had been flipped around to cover his eyes, but he assumed that was for a good reason.

Mikey began to stir slightly and struggled weakly in the grip of his brothers. "No, no…let go!" Mikey demanded, but did not have the strength to pull away.

"Stop Michelangelo," Master Splinter spoke to him calmly, yet firmly. "You are home, and safe now."

"Bros…Sensei?" he questioned. His voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah Mikey," Raph answered him. "We're here."

"Can't see. It's too dark," Mikey whined, his voice wavered like when he was a child afraid of monsters under the bed.

"It's a blindfold. You have to keep it on until Donnie says you can take it off, okay?" Raph explained, hoping that it would soothe Mikey some.

"The monsters…they're still here, Raph…" Mikey's breath hitched. He was panicked and on the verge of hyperventilating again.

"Hush now, Michelanglo. There are no monsters anymore," Master Splinter lifted Mikey up, though normally the turtles were fairly heavy because of their muscle mass and shells, Mikey appeared to weigh next to nothing in Master Splinter's arms.

The five of them went into Donnie's lab where he was still scrambling around with beakers; there was the sound of the centrifuge whirring in the corner.

"It's almost ready," he said hurriedly. Donnie didn't take his eyes away from the graduated cylinder in his hand though. As soon as he got the desired amount of liquid poured into the beaker, he turned around to face his family.

Master Splinter had laid Mikey down on a table in the lab. He was shaking, and his breathing was worsening. Donnie moved over to Mikey to take his pulse. He waited for a few moments, keeping his best poker face on.

"Not good," Donnie muttered. The centrifuge beeped and Donnie went over to retrieve the contents from the test tubes he had placed inside it.

Raph followed up behind him but kept far enough back so he didn't disrupt anything. "What's not good?"

Donnie frowned. "His heart, its beating much too fast. There's a lot of strain being put on it, and his body right now. Mainly because the venom has created hallucinations, essentially attacking his mind which has been telling his body that he's in danger. He's basically in a state of perpetual panic right now and there's no off switch."

"Which means that he doesn't have a lot of time, right?" Leo summed up.

"Yeah," Donnie said solemnly. He paused for a moment and combined the two final test tubes together in the beaker's solution. "The antidote is complete, but…"

"But what? We don't have time for this, he needs it now!" Raph demanded.

"You don't understand!" Donnie snapped. "His body, if I give this to Mikey it might…it might," Donnie couldn't finish his sentence.

April came up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. She was able to interpret what he was attempting to say. "The antidote could fix the problem," she started. "But because the venom had so long to take effect, and Mikey has been under so much stress for so long, giving him the antidote might…push his body over the edge."

Leo, Raph, and Master Splinter took a moment to absorb what they had just heard.

"You mean to tell me that the thing that's supposed to save Mikey's life... it could actually end up killing him instead!" Raph slammed his fist into the nearby wall.

"Basically yes," Donnie answered. "Worst case scenario, it could cause more adrenaline to flood into his system, and send his heart into cardiac arrest. He's already experiencing borderline tachycardia right now."

"Donnie," Mikey whispered.

Donnie turned to him quickly. He wasn't aware that he was conscious still. "Yeah, Mikey?"

"I don't know what's going on. But I don't want to feel like this anymore, or see monsters when I open my eyes," Mikey took a heavy breath, he was surprisingly coherent. "It feels like my insides are going to explode. My heart feels like a rock bouncing around in my chest, and it hurts…a lot. If you can fix me, then… please try."

Mikey stopped, having winded himself from talking so much. Donnie looked to Master Splinter.

"Do what needs to be done, Donatello," he said. "If we do not take this risk now, we may lose your brother."

"I…all right," Donnie returned to the work station behind him. He grabbed a sterile syringe, and proceeded to fill it with the antidote. It was a mostly clear liquid but held a slightly pink hue. He swabbed Mikey's arm with rubbing alcohol, just like had that morning when he drew some blood. It seemed so long ago now.

Silently he injected the antidote into Mikey's bloodstream. The tension was thick in the room as they all stood by and watched Mikey, waiting for any kind of reaction to show that the medicine was working. It felt like an infinite amount of time had passed as they waited, but it was only mere seconds.

Mikey gasped loudly, startling everyone in the room. Donatello was right next to him trying to do something that could help his brother. But there was nothing he could do. This was an internal battle now.

"Mikey, you can fight this," Donnie spoke to him. "Please, I know you can."

Mikey inhaled frantically like his lungs weren't able to get enough oxygen. He arched off the table and Donnie and Master Splinter held him firmly so he didn't hurt himself further.

"April, there's oxygen in that cabinet," Donnie pointed to a place over in the corner. "I need it now!"

"Got it," she ran over to where he indicated, wrenched the metal door open, and grabbed a thin, green canister. She brought it back over to Donnie, but then suddenly Michelangelo's body went lax against the table. He didn't struggle against the hands holding him down, nor did he move at all. Not even the subtle movement to show that he was breathing could be seen.

"No, no," Donnie muttered. He felt for a pulse, but instead of finding the dangerously frantic heartbeat that had been present before, this time it was fatally still.

* * *

**New chapter, and I end it with a cliffhanger. Sorry! I couldn't help myself. There's one chapter left, but don't worry too much. This isn't the end for Mikey...probably. **

**And as always thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

Thick clouds enveloped the sky over the city threatening to open up at any moment and release a downpour. The orange of the street lights reflected off the cloud cover, bathing the sky in an ethereal glow.

Barely a soul traveled the streets below, yet a small group of four men, clearly with the Purple Dragons, made their way through the old parts of Chinatown to where it connected with an older, industrial district. The buildings were crumbling, and most of the windows had been smashed out. Pieces of old glass littered the area lining the cracked sidewalks.

The four men kept looking around them nervously, checking the shadows of each building they passed. Finally they ducked inside the side door of a larger factory. The metal hinges squealed as the door was pulled open. Once the door slammed shut the small group visibly relaxed.

"I hate going out at night now," one of them started. He brought the bag on his shoulder over to a table and set it down.

The room was quite large. At one point it was an assembly line, with a catwalk stretching across the room above the dilapidated conveyor belts. But now there was science equipment set up throughout the room, various machines blinked and beeped. Off in the corner of a room was a vat that clearly should not be touched by bare hands. The liquid was thick and a putrid yellow color. It bubbled ferociously.

"Oh suck it up," Purple Dragon number two said, punching the first guy in the shoulder.

"It's been three weeks since we attempted to knock off the turtles. But they seem to be everywhere now. They took out the gang on the east side of town just three days ago!" The first guy shouted at them.

A third member laughed, "Yeah, but I've heard there's only been three of them now. The one with the orange mask hasn't been seen."

Purple Dragon four said proudly, "You know it's all thanks to us too."

"Thanks to you!?" A voice questioned angrily. The men stopped in their tracks, startled by the intrusion. A moment later Raphael dropped from the rafters onto the table top next to the group, sais in hand. "So this whole thing was all your fault?"

"Is this all of your poison?" Donnie asked coming up silently behind the men to Raph's left. His Bo staff pointed at them. Leo without announcing his presence was to the right of Raph suddenly, one katana drawn.

The men at first cowered away from the three turtles weapons. But after a moment they stood their ground, pulling out knives from their coat pockets. The biggest of the group, Purple Dragon number three, took a step forward. "So it's true then? The fourth turtle is gone."

"The Shredder will pleased to hear that," Purple Dragon goon number four sneered.

Leo stepped in closer. The blade of his sword an inch away from the throat of the Purple Dragon nearest to him. "You injured our brother. He suffered because of you!"

The brothers closed in on the small group of Dragons. "Now," Donnie started. "I'll ask again. Is this all of the poison you produced?"

"Yeah, but you're not gonna do a thing with it," The leader whistled and in moments the room was flooded. More than twenty men had entered the room from the other doors in the building. "And you're not going anywhere either."

The boys lowered their weapons after seeing they were clearly outnumbered, and backed away from their Purple Dragon hostages.

"I thought you scoped the place out, Donnie," Leo hissed at him.

"I did," Donnie replied. "I didn't see this coming."

"Shut up," Raph said to the both of them. He looked up to the rafters again for a brief second, and then back to the gang surrounding them. "We're going to finish what we came here to do."

"Oh, and what's that?" The lead Dragon laughed at them. "Because the way I see it, you three ain't going nowhere, except where that annoying brother of yours ended up."

Raph growled at him, ready to charge, but Leo kept him in his place.

"You idiots don't seriously think we would have come here without a backup plan, right?" Donnie smirked at them. "We've found what we needed. So we'll be nice and give you a warning. Get out now!"

The lead Dragon laughed, and his gang chorused into laughter as well. "You're threatening us?"

"With fair warning," Leo sheathed his sword. "Get out unless you want to go up in flames."

The Purple Dragons murmured amongst themselves, confused at Leo's threat to set things on fire. Raph just smiled, like there was joke only he and his brothers knew about. "Hit it!"

"Booyakasha, you jerks!" Michelangelo shouted from a catwalk that stretched across the room. A wireless remote was in his hand.

"He's alive!" The second thug from earlier said. "But that's impossible!"

"Except that I have a really smart brother," Mikey smiled at Donnie. "Now I'd run if I were you."

Moments later Raph, Leo, and Donnie were beside Mikey on the catwalk. The distraction having allowed them to slip away from the gang below.

"Countdown initiated. In five, four, three…." Mikey started counting backwards. The Purple Dragons became frantic and scrambled around below, surging for the exits. "Two, one! Blast off."

Explosions erupted throughout the building. Sparkling to life in bright colors as fireworks burst. The whizzed and screamed through the confined space. As the sparks spun wildly through the room, the chemicals instantly caught fire. A chain reaction was set off, and within moments smoke and fire filled the room quickly.

The bothers escaped speedily out a second floor window, and made their way across the rooftops until they were a block away from the fire.

"Nicely done, little brother," Leo congratulated him. Mikey was panting, hands resting on his knees to catch his breath.

Raph came up beside Mikey and knelt down beside him. "Hey, you doing okay?"

Mikey nodded, and stood up straight, "Yeah. A little winded, but good."

"It's to be expected. You're going to have to take it slow," said Donnie. "You were on bed rest for three weeks after your…"

"Heart stopped. Yeah. I got that," Mikey spoke quietly. He was doing fine now, but he could remember the terrifying feeling of his body shutting down. The crazy, horrific hallucinations he had seen, and also how it felt moments before his heart had stopped.

He could also remember Donnie crying out to him. Sensei whispering encouragements, and Raph, Leo, and April shouting out his name. It had all been muffled, but he certainly could feel their presence. He thought that's what kept him tethered to life. There was too much to leave behind. He had been gone for only a few seconds, but it made him realize just how much his family meant to him, and what they would go through for him. Mikey would return the sentiment in an instant.

Tonight it felt good to blow up the cause of all the grief they had experienced. He was still recovering, but Mikey wanted to make sure that the poison wouldn't be able to be used again. His brothers were with him now, and the nightmare was over.

"Thanks for letting me set loose the fireworks," Mikey handed the wireless remote back to Donnie. "It was a blast."

They shook their heads at Mikey's poor pun. Donnie took the remote from his hand. "You deserved it.

"I love ya, bros." Mikey said cheerily. He bounced lightly on his toes taking a small step away from Raph. "Now I think we need some pizza!" He inched his way towards the roof's edge.

"Sounds like a plan!" Leo ran ahead of him and jumped to the next rooftop.

Donnie followed after. Raph waited behind until Mikey jumped across, and then continued on. Laughing, the four of them swiftly made their way across the rooftops. Together they were headed towards home.

* * *

**Look a quick update this time...with a happy ending. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long. This was the final chapter, and I didn't kill Mikey after all. I don't really do character deaths, just almost deaths. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the story. Thanks for sticking around and for all of the great reviews. Love you guys!**


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